What amenities are considered essential where you Host?

[Quincy]

Hello everyone,

I have seen many different homes, some of which are in remote areas, and some that are in busy places such as in a city. 

For all those different homes that are out there, essential amenities might differ greatly. Of course, it is also influenced on what a Host is offering, and what is available.

All travellers have different preferences, for example, one might be an adventurer looking for a remote place to stay at away from the city with only needing a bare minimum of essential amenities, and the other might just prefer that city vibe where most things are readily available. 

With that said, what amenities are considered essential where you Host?

I look forward to reading your comments 👀 

Quincy 

[Quincy]

That sounds great @Helen427! I love hammocks 😃 

[Sudsrung0]

@Quincy 

I think we have had every nationality stay with us over the years, we also get to know what each ones like, because we are in Phuket so first and foremost is A/C then we get asked most about the internet we have good internet everywhere.

At the moment we only have one property on airbnb which is a apartment,

We do have villas but because of covid we changed to LTR, but in all properties we tried to think of everything they would need,

In the kitchens they have more than they need, not just 4 plates 4 of this or 4 of that, plenty of cutlery and kitchen utensils what we found most Russians like to cook at home or BBQ they make full use of the kitchens,

We must have a rice cooker for our Asian guest,

Washing machine is a must we even have one in our apartment, I have lost bookings for not having a washer in one villa we used to have,

We have had dish washers they dont get used.

Hot water for the showers although it's 35 degrees, We Thai's dont use hot water cold water is better for your skin.

What we did buy recently was Juicer or blender the guest love that I think because local fruit is cheap and we have along the main road every night a market.

[Quincy]

Very thoughtful points here @Sudsrung0! I noticed in my own listing that especially the rice cooker has been a very good purchase 😃

Would you say the dishwasher is then the least used amenity? 

[Sudsrung0]

@Quincy 

I would say so the dishwasher was a waste of money and they are expensive here because they are imported.

Also a coffee machine we bought "Gaggia" never seems to get used, the filter coffee machine seems to get used, No point in an expensive machine 

[Sudsrung0]

@Quincy 

I forgot, I just see a post about it on FB, Hair dryers we always get asked about that, in our apartment we only have one, but in the villas we put one in each bedroom.

[Quincy]

Ah yes, hairdryers! I think that's a must-have 👀 @Sudsrung0 

[K--Mustafa0]

My house is in the center of my country's third largest city.

Unfortunately, Airbnb hosts in my country are generally conservative. Therefore, guests attach great importance to privacy during their stay.

*

I think one of the most important things is not to disturb the guests, to make them feel at home or to guarantee that they will not be questioned about who they are having fun with.

Apart from this, to provide a proper heating or cooling opportunity due to the weather conditions and being a coastal city.

To allow them to benefit from the facilities of the house in general, to make them feel this comfort.

I think these are the most critical amenities that should definitely be provided for the environment of my home. 

[Quincy]

Great tips @K--Mustafa0! Coincidentally, I will be in Turkey tomorrow! 😃

[Sudsrung0]

@K--Mustafa0 

And a good Kebab?

[K--Mustafa0]

and a good kebab, ofc... haha

[Gillian166]

@Quincy 
it's Australia, we are a nation of coffee snobs, so: coffee machine! I stayed in a pretty average apartment on the gold coast last year, managed by one of those faceless groups, with bare bones old furniture (in fact they called the clickclack "futon" (not a futon of course) cheap sofa a "double bed"), and it was not sparkling clean either....  But, they had a coffee machine and even had Nespresso pods instead of the cheaper starbucks or other brands. Priorities! lol

We have a nespresso pod machine and of course a kettle in our 3 listings. 

[Quincy]

Those machines are so handy @Gillian166! What's the average amount of monies spent on coffee every month, you reckon?

[Gillian166]

We have a subscription with Nespresso, actually we have 3 now (and got 3 machines) so we spend $150/month on coffee, which covers the 3 listings plus our personal use in our kitchen. Depending on how busy we are (and how many guests drink coffee) that can extend to $200/month. So far not one guest has ever stolen pods, which is amazing.   

[Laurelle3]

 @Quincy As you have said, as Hosts from different parts of the world whether it be the city or remote tropical paradise, desert or in between, forest beach, farm, mountains, city or suburbs all can give a unique style or experience from how and what the Host provides or not. 

As essentials amenities that I would have suggested have already been mentioned by @Huma0 who points out the heating and cooling. Because we live in a Temperate climate by the beach we experience temperatures from 5 degree Celsius to 42 degrees. Like @Beth80  who also mentions air-conditioning we have adopted to have reverse cycle air-conditioning as well as portable fans for summer. We have found that most of our guests expect to have this even if they don't have it themselves. A solar system and battery is a must to reduce our electricity bill.

@Helen427 points out to have a comfortable chair but i also think you have to supply enough for the guests to sit in. Also a comfortable bed which is hard to achieve for the individual needs. We have adopted to supply latex toppers on our mattresses and have had lots of compliments for comfortable beds. Mattress protectors is a necessary for health reasons and as the name says, protect the mattress and washed between guests.

@Sudsrung0 points out that a kitchen is important. We have found that most guests book for the kitchen which is well equipped  without being excessive because everything has to be checked to make sure that all has been left clean. The dishwasher is used by guests and we have never had dirty dishes left  on the sink. The washing machine is used by families who are staying more than a couple of days. We have a dryer onsite and we only offer this is the weather has been wet and they have little ones and is most appreciated.

 @K--Mustafa0 mentions privacy which we offer our guests with a private garden and back porch and when showing them through I say we never go past a certain point in the side garden but remind them that we do share a garden that use to enter the cottage.

@Gillian166 points out that a coffee machine is a must but we have found that we supply 4 different coffee pods along with decaffeinated and cappuccino sachets and offer 5 different variety of  teas. I would say that we have more tea drinkers that coffee takers.

What we do offer is a hamper basket to get the guests started with enough for a light continental breakfast and enough for a cooked breakfast along with fresh scones jam and cream for afternoon tea. These offerings are  our biggest complemented item in the reviews that we have given them more than what  they expected. However, we don't advertise that we supply breakfast but it is the thing that leaves them with a lasting impression. This decision was made from all my readings before we started Airbnbing to give 10% back to the guests which we have calculated in our pricing. Also when we started staying in Airbnb's in 2014 a light breakfast was offered, I would compare and chose these places as it was cost saving when travelling on a budget.

[Huma0]

@Laurelle3 

I didn't mention a comfortable bed, but that is a very, very good point. After all, the bed will be where guests spend the majority of their time while at the listing, especially these days when a lot of people not only read, but watch films/TV in bed. 

My mattresses are not bargain basement, but they are not super expensive either. However, a few years ago, I invested in the thickest, plushest mattress toppers I could find (not that pricey because I got them on offer) and they were worth every penny. Guests now rave about how comfortable the beds are.

The only problem is that, because they are so thick, it's a struggle to get them in my washing machine, even though it has an 8kg capacity, so they have to be lugged to a laundrette. However, I have mattress protectors on top which, like yours, get washed in between guests (pillow protectors also a must). I'm bit obsessed about washing ALL linens between guests, but it's not so hard for me as I host long term stays.

The beds all have quite tall headboards (two of them upholstered) so they are comfy to sit in too. Then I have a range of different pillows (x4) on each bed, so there is thick, thinner and different types so that the guest can choose as everyone has different preferences. I know from my own neck pains when staying in even the fanciest hotels that this is really important. There are also the layers of bedding (top sheet, duvet, quilt and extra duvet provided in winter) so that guests can select whatever makes them most comfortable. It's also important to me that the beds look nice as that's the largest and most dominant piece of furniture in the bedroom.

One thing I never get complaints about is the beds. Guests always tell me they love them. It's just a shame so few mention them in their reviews!